Plaid challenges Tories on £350 million a week NHS pledge

Plaid Cymru has challenged the Conservatives to include the Brexit pledge to spend £350 million a week on the NHS in their manifesto and called for the Welsh Health Service to be given its fair share.

The party’s Brexit spokesperson, Jonathan Edwards, said the Tories should not be allowed to get away with breaking promises.

Under the Barnett formula, Wales would get £17 million every week if the UK Government delivered on its promise to spend £350 million a week on the NHS.

The Vote Leave campaign, endorsed by many prominent Tories such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove promised that £350 million could be spent on the NHS if the UK voted for Brexit.

Commenting, Plaid Cymru’s Jonathan Edwards said:

“Prominent Tory MPs who are asking voters to re-elect them next month made explicit promises that they should be held accountable for.

“Voters shouldn’t let politicians get away with making pledges that would have meant a substantial boost to the health service only to completely disregard them after a vote. If they are willing to disregard commitments of such significance, then how can anyone trust anything they say in this campaign?

“The Tories should include the pledge in their manifesto for the general election and honour the promise Leave campaigners made to people across the UK last year.

“£350 million a week would equate to £17 million for Wales every week which could be used to scrap the scandalous cap on NHS workers’ pay and give our NHS staff the wages they deserve. It could be used to recruit more nurses and more doctors, making the health service safer for everyone. It would even allow more hospitals to be built across Wales, taking pressure off services such as accident and emergency and maternity wards.

“Theresa May can repeat the words “strong” and “stable” as many times as she likes but the reality behind the rhetoric is a Prime Minister who is hell-bent on selling-off our NHS along with the rest of our public services. She is taking advantage of a weak and divided Labour Party who are too distracted to oppose them.

“The people of Wales face a clear choice next month – another five years of an unchecked Tory government with a weak and divided Labour opposition, or a strong team of Plaid Cymru MPs standing up to the Tories, defending Wales and defending our NHS.”